Fiber-to-the-X (FTTX) network architectures utilize optical fiber to provide all or part of the local loop to a customer's premise. For example, Fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network architectures utilize optical fiber as the communication media all the way to the customer's premise. FIG. 1 shows part of a conventional network architecture utilizing a Passive Optical Networks (PON), such as Gigabit PON (GPON), which includes a FTTH implementation for customer premise 115-N. In particular, the optical fiber drop cable 111-N is coupled from a service terminal 109 to an Optical Network Terminal (ONT) 113 located at the customer's premise 115-N. By using optical fiber as the communication media all the way to each customer's home, FTTH networks can be used to provide such home customers with broadband bandwidth levels associated with fiber optic communication.
However, it may be undesirable to implement FTTH for each customer. For example, installation of optical fiber at a customer's premise or home typically requires physical access to the customer's home and surrounding area in order to dig up the customer's yard and/or surrounding area for burying the fiber drop cable. Physical access to the customer's home is also typically required to terminate the optical fiber at the customer's home. Such access may be undesirable or unavailable. Thus, other fiber implementations utilize copper wiring already present in the customer's premise for at least part of the local loop. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, in Fiber-to-the-distribution point (FTTdp) implementations, a fiber optic drop cable 111-1 is coupled from the passive service terminal 109 to an Optical Network Unit (ONU) 117 at a distribution point. A distribution point is a point where multiple copper pairs arrive. Additionally, as used herein, a ‘passive’ device is a device which does not include electrically powered components whereas an ‘active’ device includes electrically powered components. The ONU 117 is typically an active multi-line unit configured to perform optical to electrical (O/E) conversion and to distribute the converted electrical signal over a plurality of copper pairs 119. Each of the copper pairs 119 is coupled to a respective customer premise 115.
Thus, FTTdp enables distribution of broadband services to customer premises for which FTTH is not available. Additionally, FTTdp enables sharing the O/E conversion function among multiple copper pairs. However, conventional FTTdp network architectures are not easily upgraded, such as when an individual customer premise is upgraded for FTTH connectivity or different transmission technologies. For example, upgrading the service to one customer premise 115 coupled to the ONU 117 may adversely affect the service of other customer premises 115 coupled to the ONU 117 while being upgraded. Hence, there is a need in the art for a fiber network architecture which enables broadband service via existing copper pairs, but which also provides a relatively easy upgrade path.